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The Curse of Dragon Tail Island: A Pirate Fantasy Adventure
Set sail with the Salty Scoundrels in this swashbuckling pirate fantasy—a rollicking tale of clashing cutlasses, monsters and magic, and high seas adventure.
A once-legendary pirate and his loyal crew risk uncharted waters for a chance at freedom, treasure, and glory.
Captain James R. Hawk, aka Trusty Jack, and his Salty Scoundrels are do-gooder buccaneers leaving a trail of merry mayhem in their wake. Their credo: ignore the corrupt laws of the Jewel Island’s greedy regent and sail the tropical seas in search of treasure, freedom, and adventure.
But when the royal navy teams up with a powerful mage, Trusty Jack’s sordid past catches up with him. Lost love, lost lives, and a lost ship haunt the legendary pirate, none more than Marian, his once-betrothed. That’s when a cunning gnome arrives from the mainland with a daring proposal. Will Jack muster his sea dog courage and sail through the illusion-filled mists to reach a forbidden island? The ghostly horrors and powerful curse at his destination will test more than his pirate mettle. He’ll have to weigh the price of gold against the risk of peril to himself, his crew, and those he loves… and face down a haunting past trailing in his wake.
The Curse of Dragon Tail Island: a standalone pirate fantasy adventure.
A once-legendary pirate and his loyal crew risk uncharted waters for a chance at freedom, treasure, and glory.
Captain James R. Hawk, aka Trusty Jack, and his Salty Scoundrels are do-gooder buccaneers leaving a trail of merry mayhem in their wake. Their credo: ignore the corrupt laws of the Jewel Island’s greedy regent and sail the tropical seas in search of treasure, freedom, and adventure.
But when the royal navy teams up with a powerful mage, Trusty Jack’s sordid past catches up with him. Lost love, lost lives, and a lost ship haunt the legendary pirate, none more than Marian, his once-betrothed. That’s when a cunning gnome arrives from the mainland with a daring proposal. Will Jack muster his sea dog courage and sail through the illusion-filled mists to reach a forbidden island? The ghostly horrors and powerful curse at his destination will test more than his pirate mettle. He’ll have to weigh the price of gold against the risk of peril to himself, his crew, and those he loves… and face down a haunting past trailing in his wake.
The Curse of Dragon Tail Island: a standalone pirate fantasy adventure.
- GenresFantasy
423 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2026
5 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Nevair
9 books77 followersJonathan Nevair is an author and educator originally from Long Island, NY. After two decades in the classroom, he finally got up the nerve to write fiction.
His books have won numerous awards, including the National Fantasy Fan Federation Award (Neffy) for Best Novel (To Spy a Star, 2024), second place in the 2024 Valorious Awards (Stellar Instinct), and runner-up in the 2022 Indie Ink Awards under the category Writing the Future We Need (Jati’s Wager).
Jonathan lives in southeastern PA with his wife and rambunctious mountain feist, Cricket. When not writing and teaching, he spends his time chasing his dog through the woods and stargazing with dreams of walking in space.
His books have won numerous awards, including the National Fantasy Fan Federation Award (Neffy) for Best Novel (To Spy a Star, 2024), second place in the 2024 Valorious Awards (Stellar Instinct), and runner-up in the 2022 Indie Ink Awards under the category Writing the Future We Need (Jati’s Wager).
Jonathan lives in southeastern PA with his wife and rambunctious mountain feist, Cricket. When not writing and teaching, he spends his time chasing his dog through the woods and stargazing with dreams of walking in space.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 30, 2026
“Life takes us in strange directions, lass. Wasn’t my first choice, but I’m making the best of it.”
A pirate’s life for me indeed.
I LOVE this book, and I have from the moment I first read it (yes, I also love Pirates of the Caribbean and Black Sails…and still need to watch Our Flag Means Death, but the pirate love was already there). And this is very much as it says on the tin a pirate fantasy – there is the hoisting of colour, heists for both treasure and people, sea battles and pirate lore.
But…
But what I think really hooks me about The Curse of Dragon Tail Island, is that it is more than just a swashbuckling pirate adventure. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can happily ramble for days about all the worldbuilding and little details about the pirate elements; and I will a bit later. However, what I loved most about this book is that every element is a tangled web of political intrigue, and societal plotting – and that Nevair keeps the twists on that coming right until the very end, with one of my favourite scenes happening in the mists, bringing the past crashing right into the present.
The Jewel Islands is a vividly realised world, with ties sailing off the edge of the maps to other kingdoms and lands, and of course the mists; giving us that wonderful feeling that the events we are witnessing which are complicated tower of cards, all waiting to topple with a dragon’s wing, are actually part of a much bigger whole even if we only get glimpses of it. And as always, I love that feeling that you could travel beyond the edge of the page and find more or this world, especially with the sheer swell of potential and the future opening out that the ending gives us. And we get not one, but two maps – so bonus points there, because I am always here for more maps.
The Curse of Dragon Tail Island covers quite a time period and distance, with island hopping and even braving unknown waters; and yet what Nevair has built with that tangled web is a story that is ever connected to itself, to the world, and to the characters. Especially, as we see consequences playing out, sometimes immediately, and sometimes across the years – for people on both sides of the schemes that are colliding in this story. One choice. One set-up. One connection. What might seem only major in a character’s personal story, has ripples, that can cast up both treasure and danger elsewhere. But what this book also captures, is that nothing is set in stone, again on either side of the divide – luck, trust, second chances, and the ability to change tack to sail with the wind – is evident throughout the book; there are always choices – from the moment Jack surrenders at the beginning, to him and Bonnie being able to work together for a shared love of another person.
“James Hawk, the farm boy who became a pirate. Like a character out of a fairy tale.”
Trusty Jack in some ways can sound like that character out of fairy tale, or for those familiar with some olde legends of Sherwood Forest, someone right out of those mythical trees. Yet, in Jack, Nevair has created a man very much shaped by his life experiences. We see the impact that betrayals and loss, and stagnation have had on him; but we also see a spirit that has the strength to look for the silver lining, and the horizon at the edge of stormy weather. You can see the impact that his crew have had on him, that the people he has helped have had on him, just as much as you can see the weight that those who have hunted and betrayed him have; and it creates a character that you are compelled to root for. Even at the beginning when we see him justifiably hesitating to get involved with a cause that once he would have immediately championed, and not just because of the risk involved, but because of time, and loss, a very real feeling that it can be hard to step back into a life that was stolen from you.
Marian I think is possibly my favourite character, especially on the reread. As with Jack, we can see how she has been shaped by many of the same events as he has, albeit from a different viewpoint. With both direct and unknowing betrayal wrapped up in familial love and anger, both genuine and part wrapped up in intrigue. Her strength is similar to Jack’s but different, with a conviction rooted in a very down-to-earth clarity about herself, even while nursing the long hurt of her past with Jack, and about the world around her.
Even with the pirates doing what they can to help those impacted by the navy and the nobles, there is very much a sense of them and us; but with Marian, it’s like her presence knocks down those walls even if just for a moment, bringing everyone to the same level. We see it through her work as a healer, her stance against her family even before secrets are unveiled, and we see it in the chaos and catastrophe of the end game, when she is the one to unite opposing forces – not by absolving the past, but showing that everyone is on that level and that they need to be together whether friends and allies or enemies to protect what is more important. And that wouldn’t work as well coming from Jack, or any of the others, but is such an integral part of Marian that it works beautifully.
Their relationship is also handled beautifully, from past grievances and ‘betrayal’, to that wonderfully awkward well here we are together with years and choices between us, to nostalgia and longing and a rebuilding. To finally a second chance built on truth and understanding, and experience together; and what is even better is that they both have to adjust their views, their wants, and the people they were and are now. Nevair very much captures that delicate dance of old and new and second chances, and some of the moments between them are my favourites in the entire book.
Nevair’s characterisation though really shines through with the secondary cast. Big Rig and Lana are wonderful, and while they waltz with some of the stereotypes of robin hood myths and pirates, they are also very uniquely themselves, and in some ways a balance and a ballast to Jack himself. It is impossible to see Jack as the man he was at the beginning, and the man fourteen years later sailing into impossible odds, without seeing their influence and they are such a brilliant pair together, both spark and flint, and steadying force. Lana for me was such a fun take on a half-orc, but my favourite part is that we get to see so many of the hints, and little details of her past, and what happened to her while Jack was on Mayrotten Island get their moment to shine in the darkest moment.
Sian was a character that I had mixed feelings about at the beginning, I think more because her nature and mine would be at odds in some ways; and yet by the end I was so invested in her and of course that’s where the gut punch comes from – and there is a scene towards the very end that is both beautiful and painful in equal measures. Also, I love the nosci as a people, and again there’s that added element both to the worldbuilding but also that intrigue and genre blurring, because the environmental edge is most prominent through her and her people, even though Nevair sows seeds of it elsewhere, again building up that feel of interconnectedness.
Again, Scarlett and Doni were really well written. Both together and as individuals. Scarlett I find interesting because in some ways she was the outsider, but also the pebble that set the avalanche rolling, and we see how as with the main characters, loss and betrayal and found family and friendship, shape her and pull her very firmly into the events. Investing her in a way that gold never could. The relationship between those two had me both in stitches and rooting for them at the same time; and broke my heart entirely at one point.
These are all characters that we spend a considerable amount of time with; yet even the characters that are more fleeting leave such an impact thanks to how they are written. Even at the end I found myself wondering about those we had met briefly in the fight at Mayrotten island, Ashana is one of my favourites and the impact she had on the story was momentous in so many ways.
What I find fascinating as I write this review, was that briefly I was going to say we didn’t see perhaps enough of the Regent. Yet, I won’t say that – because there is power in being the source of the rot seeping beneath the surface and not being at the forefront of the confrontations. We had Rin and Bonnie, and Captain Pitch and the warden as some of the many faces of his reach through the islands; and it’s interesting that what we see of him is a personal scene dressed in performance. Fitting for the intrigue that he is the centre of, but also for how interconnected the characters, and the islands and the story are; and it adds weight to Marian and Bonnies’ actions.
I also loved that the stakes are very real throughout the book, from a death right near the beginning, to losses along the way. There is the swashbuckling element of the adventure continues, a boulder gathering speed as it moves downhill, but as with everything we get to see the impact of those losses – both personal, and wider impacting, play out not just in the immediate moment but throughout the story. And Nevair really cranks the handle on the stakes in the final part of the book; but in that way that makes people – and getting to see how the different characters, the different sides and viewpoints, have to react and choose in that pressure cooker adds a very human tension to a very fantastical catastrophe; and that entire final collision of characters and choices, and fate, is one that I couldn’t put down and had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.
I was onboard with this book from the moment I first heard Pirate Fantasy, especially with the influence of robin hood and D&D in the mix; and it was one of my most anticipated reads, and one of my top reads of 2025 as I got to read it early and has been a fantastic start to 2026 for fantasy books. It’s Nevair’s first foray into fantasy, but hopefully not the last, because he has taken the fantastic worldbuilding and multi-layered issues and genres we’ve seen across his previous body of work and really brought it to life in the fantastical here. The Curse of Dragon Tail Island was one of those books that wouldn’t get out of my head for a couple of weeks after I first read it, and there were so many little moments I found myself lingering on; and returning to it now in its final form I have fallen in love with it all over again. So, if you want a swashbuckling adventure, that is a lot more, with intrigue and found family and politics, and second chance love, and magic and dragons and a bad ass ship called R.I.P. Tide then I can’t recommend The Curse of Dragon Tail Island highly enough.
A pirate’s life for me indeed.
I LOVE this book, and I have from the moment I first read it (yes, I also love Pirates of the Caribbean and Black Sails…and still need to watch Our Flag Means Death, but the pirate love was already there). And this is very much as it says on the tin a pirate fantasy – there is the hoisting of colour, heists for both treasure and people, sea battles and pirate lore.
But…
But what I think really hooks me about The Curse of Dragon Tail Island, is that it is more than just a swashbuckling pirate adventure. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can happily ramble for days about all the worldbuilding and little details about the pirate elements; and I will a bit later. However, what I loved most about this book is that every element is a tangled web of political intrigue, and societal plotting – and that Nevair keeps the twists on that coming right until the very end, with one of my favourite scenes happening in the mists, bringing the past crashing right into the present.
The Jewel Islands is a vividly realised world, with ties sailing off the edge of the maps to other kingdoms and lands, and of course the mists; giving us that wonderful feeling that the events we are witnessing which are complicated tower of cards, all waiting to topple with a dragon’s wing, are actually part of a much bigger whole even if we only get glimpses of it. And as always, I love that feeling that you could travel beyond the edge of the page and find more or this world, especially with the sheer swell of potential and the future opening out that the ending gives us. And we get not one, but two maps – so bonus points there, because I am always here for more maps.
The Curse of Dragon Tail Island covers quite a time period and distance, with island hopping and even braving unknown waters; and yet what Nevair has built with that tangled web is a story that is ever connected to itself, to the world, and to the characters. Especially, as we see consequences playing out, sometimes immediately, and sometimes across the years – for people on both sides of the schemes that are colliding in this story. One choice. One set-up. One connection. What might seem only major in a character’s personal story, has ripples, that can cast up both treasure and danger elsewhere. But what this book also captures, is that nothing is set in stone, again on either side of the divide – luck, trust, second chances, and the ability to change tack to sail with the wind – is evident throughout the book; there are always choices – from the moment Jack surrenders at the beginning, to him and Bonnie being able to work together for a shared love of another person.
“James Hawk, the farm boy who became a pirate. Like a character out of a fairy tale.”
Trusty Jack in some ways can sound like that character out of fairy tale, or for those familiar with some olde legends of Sherwood Forest, someone right out of those mythical trees. Yet, in Jack, Nevair has created a man very much shaped by his life experiences. We see the impact that betrayals and loss, and stagnation have had on him; but we also see a spirit that has the strength to look for the silver lining, and the horizon at the edge of stormy weather. You can see the impact that his crew have had on him, that the people he has helped have had on him, just as much as you can see the weight that those who have hunted and betrayed him have; and it creates a character that you are compelled to root for. Even at the beginning when we see him justifiably hesitating to get involved with a cause that once he would have immediately championed, and not just because of the risk involved, but because of time, and loss, a very real feeling that it can be hard to step back into a life that was stolen from you.
Marian I think is possibly my favourite character, especially on the reread. As with Jack, we can see how she has been shaped by many of the same events as he has, albeit from a different viewpoint. With both direct and unknowing betrayal wrapped up in familial love and anger, both genuine and part wrapped up in intrigue. Her strength is similar to Jack’s but different, with a conviction rooted in a very down-to-earth clarity about herself, even while nursing the long hurt of her past with Jack, and about the world around her.
Even with the pirates doing what they can to help those impacted by the navy and the nobles, there is very much a sense of them and us; but with Marian, it’s like her presence knocks down those walls even if just for a moment, bringing everyone to the same level. We see it through her work as a healer, her stance against her family even before secrets are unveiled, and we see it in the chaos and catastrophe of the end game, when she is the one to unite opposing forces – not by absolving the past, but showing that everyone is on that level and that they need to be together whether friends and allies or enemies to protect what is more important. And that wouldn’t work as well coming from Jack, or any of the others, but is such an integral part of Marian that it works beautifully.
Their relationship is also handled beautifully, from past grievances and ‘betrayal’, to that wonderfully awkward well here we are together with years and choices between us, to nostalgia and longing and a rebuilding. To finally a second chance built on truth and understanding, and experience together; and what is even better is that they both have to adjust their views, their wants, and the people they were and are now. Nevair very much captures that delicate dance of old and new and second chances, and some of the moments between them are my favourites in the entire book.
Nevair’s characterisation though really shines through with the secondary cast. Big Rig and Lana are wonderful, and while they waltz with some of the stereotypes of robin hood myths and pirates, they are also very uniquely themselves, and in some ways a balance and a ballast to Jack himself. It is impossible to see Jack as the man he was at the beginning, and the man fourteen years later sailing into impossible odds, without seeing their influence and they are such a brilliant pair together, both spark and flint, and steadying force. Lana for me was such a fun take on a half-orc, but my favourite part is that we get to see so many of the hints, and little details of her past, and what happened to her while Jack was on Mayrotten Island get their moment to shine in the darkest moment.
Sian was a character that I had mixed feelings about at the beginning, I think more because her nature and mine would be at odds in some ways; and yet by the end I was so invested in her and of course that’s where the gut punch comes from – and there is a scene towards the very end that is both beautiful and painful in equal measures. Also, I love the nosci as a people, and again there’s that added element both to the worldbuilding but also that intrigue and genre blurring, because the environmental edge is most prominent through her and her people, even though Nevair sows seeds of it elsewhere, again building up that feel of interconnectedness.
Again, Scarlett and Doni were really well written. Both together and as individuals. Scarlett I find interesting because in some ways she was the outsider, but also the pebble that set the avalanche rolling, and we see how as with the main characters, loss and betrayal and found family and friendship, shape her and pull her very firmly into the events. Investing her in a way that gold never could. The relationship between those two had me both in stitches and rooting for them at the same time; and broke my heart entirely at one point.
These are all characters that we spend a considerable amount of time with; yet even the characters that are more fleeting leave such an impact thanks to how they are written. Even at the end I found myself wondering about those we had met briefly in the fight at Mayrotten island, Ashana is one of my favourites and the impact she had on the story was momentous in so many ways.
What I find fascinating as I write this review, was that briefly I was going to say we didn’t see perhaps enough of the Regent. Yet, I won’t say that – because there is power in being the source of the rot seeping beneath the surface and not being at the forefront of the confrontations. We had Rin and Bonnie, and Captain Pitch and the warden as some of the many faces of his reach through the islands; and it’s interesting that what we see of him is a personal scene dressed in performance. Fitting for the intrigue that he is the centre of, but also for how interconnected the characters, and the islands and the story are; and it adds weight to Marian and Bonnies’ actions.
I also loved that the stakes are very real throughout the book, from a death right near the beginning, to losses along the way. There is the swashbuckling element of the adventure continues, a boulder gathering speed as it moves downhill, but as with everything we get to see the impact of those losses – both personal, and wider impacting, play out not just in the immediate moment but throughout the story. And Nevair really cranks the handle on the stakes in the final part of the book; but in that way that makes people – and getting to see how the different characters, the different sides and viewpoints, have to react and choose in that pressure cooker adds a very human tension to a very fantastical catastrophe; and that entire final collision of characters and choices, and fate, is one that I couldn’t put down and had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.
I was onboard with this book from the moment I first heard Pirate Fantasy, especially with the influence of robin hood and D&D in the mix; and it was one of my most anticipated reads, and one of my top reads of 2025 as I got to read it early and has been a fantastic start to 2026 for fantasy books. It’s Nevair’s first foray into fantasy, but hopefully not the last, because he has taken the fantastic worldbuilding and multi-layered issues and genres we’ve seen across his previous body of work and really brought it to life in the fantastical here. The Curse of Dragon Tail Island was one of those books that wouldn’t get out of my head for a couple of weeks after I first read it, and there were so many little moments I found myself lingering on; and returning to it now in its final form I have fallen in love with it all over again. So, if you want a swashbuckling adventure, that is a lot more, with intrigue and found family and politics, and second chance love, and magic and dragons and a bad ass ship called R.I.P. Tide then I can’t recommend The Curse of Dragon Tail Island highly enough.
February 5, 2026
Review originally on JamReads
The Curse of the Dragon Tail Island is a standalone pirate fantasy adventure novel written by Jonathan Nevair. Not only we have a swashbuckling pirate adventure contained within this story, offering a healthy amount of worldbuilding details that make its setting to feel alive and vibrant, but also it goes a bit deeper than it is usual in the genre, mixing political intrigue and societal struggle into all, complemented with a diverse cast.
Fourteen years after being betrayed, Trusty Jack Hawk is contacted by gnomish thief, Scarlett; he had left that life, but the reward is too much to say no to this job: a chance to recover his beloved ship. Just a simple task: reunite his old crew (some of them from prison), get a magical dagger to fix a compass and navigate through the mists to find a legendary island where the dragon's blood can be found; nothing like doing the almost impossible to get rid of the rust.
A common element across Nevair's novels is the diversity of the cast, and this case isn't an exception. Not only Jack is an awesome character, a person who has been prey to his past, but who doesn't refuse the call to adventure, and at the end, a good person (as you can see by his credo), but also the rest of the Salty Scoundrels are quite interesting, especially with that touch of different fantasy races that could perfectly represent a DnD party, all with their own quirks and background. They all end up being relevant to the plot, feeling more than just filler characters in the background.
The worldbuilding kinda remembers to the classical Caribbean setting that is so common in the genre, but with fantasy elements; however, Nevair also manages to make this a more complex story, as he gradually introduces the political system and uses it to create a storyline about changing it and how all classes deserve a fairer society. The pacing is adequate, dividing the big quest into smaller tasks that serve to keep the group in movement, making the reading experience a really enjoyable one.
The Curse of the Dragon Tail Island is a fun and enjoyable novel, a pirate adventure perfect if you are looking for something in the style of Pirates of the Caribbean but with a more complex plot while still keeping the jokes. A great novel by Jonathan Nevair!
The Curse of the Dragon Tail Island is a standalone pirate fantasy adventure novel written by Jonathan Nevair. Not only we have a swashbuckling pirate adventure contained within this story, offering a healthy amount of worldbuilding details that make its setting to feel alive and vibrant, but also it goes a bit deeper than it is usual in the genre, mixing political intrigue and societal struggle into all, complemented with a diverse cast.
Fourteen years after being betrayed, Trusty Jack Hawk is contacted by gnomish thief, Scarlett; he had left that life, but the reward is too much to say no to this job: a chance to recover his beloved ship. Just a simple task: reunite his old crew (some of them from prison), get a magical dagger to fix a compass and navigate through the mists to find a legendary island where the dragon's blood can be found; nothing like doing the almost impossible to get rid of the rust.
A common element across Nevair's novels is the diversity of the cast, and this case isn't an exception. Not only Jack is an awesome character, a person who has been prey to his past, but who doesn't refuse the call to adventure, and at the end, a good person (as you can see by his credo), but also the rest of the Salty Scoundrels are quite interesting, especially with that touch of different fantasy races that could perfectly represent a DnD party, all with their own quirks and background. They all end up being relevant to the plot, feeling more than just filler characters in the background.
The worldbuilding kinda remembers to the classical Caribbean setting that is so common in the genre, but with fantasy elements; however, Nevair also manages to make this a more complex story, as he gradually introduces the political system and uses it to create a storyline about changing it and how all classes deserve a fairer society. The pacing is adequate, dividing the big quest into smaller tasks that serve to keep the group in movement, making the reading experience a really enjoyable one.
The Curse of the Dragon Tail Island is a fun and enjoyable novel, a pirate adventure perfect if you are looking for something in the style of Pirates of the Caribbean but with a more complex plot while still keeping the jokes. A great novel by Jonathan Nevair!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Risk and danger. Ain’t that a pirate’s life?
Avast me hearties and further such salty pirate talk! If ye be here for more of author Jonathan Nevair's scifi stories featuring his very own version of Jane Bond ('memberin' that she's a she) and adventures in outer space with tons of cool aliens, well, ye be full off course and sailing most untrue! However, if ye scallywags truly appreciate fine literature and are up for an absolutely spell-binding fantasy adventure featuring intrique, death-defying adventure, pirates, mages, dwarves, goblins, half-orcs, haunting specters and even singing magic otters (the nocsi, which are very cool!), then this is the place you have to be! Because "The Curse of Dragon Tail Island" starring Trusty Jack and his Salty Scoundrels will send all the bilge rats that have cursed yer bottom bits already this year running for the hills as you guffaw and cheer at such a wonderful tale!
You’ve got the look of one who has travelled far and wide in search of treasure.
OK, I'll stop with the pirate talk because believe it or not, I have no idea what I'm saying. No, not about the book, the, um, pirate dialect (yes, I had to google exactly what a bilge rat happened to be … though thankfully it's not nearly as rude as I expected!). Plus, I just really can't stomach rum, which as you'll admit, might have helped me along the way with this review. You see, this may in fact be my first ever pirate-oriented read that at least I can remember from the bow to stern of, um, the book. Sure, I've read stories where sailing a bit around the place was required to get back to the stabby bits but this is true blue pirating going on here. However, you just may begin to pick up on a slight twist of reference to some other tales that took place in a sherwoody forest, what with a certain hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor ("…despite being a pirate, he’s honest. And fair."). Especially once you meet the most fair Mage Marian along the way. Trust me: say that out loud if you don't get it!
We are never bound to others. Except through love.
Yes, our author has not only brought in some tried and true references to a tale any Kevin Costner fan would know (I joke because his version was AWFUL) but also created a land and history that shines just as bright as any supernova he's described in his earlier launched tomes. Plus this is without even considering the different realms of intrique we come across ("…this level of nuance and deceit was worse than a spring storm in a northern channel.") And as with the previous books I've read from this author, the tale shines brightest thanks to its very varied cast and the unique settings that we enter and leave, sometimes at our leisure, other times running for our very lives. And that still counts if I'm not a fan of sailing (tried it, hated it) or even the obvious inspirations found from D&D (I grew up too nerdy to even play THAT!). But fans of any kind of fantasy from A to whatever weird symbols the Golden Elves left behind will absolutely love this story.
Those gathered reflected on the complexity and cunning involved in the operation.
Sure the story takes a bit to catch the stronger crosswinds (is that a legitimate sailing term?) but only because this is a pretty big cast and it takes more than a little while to get properly acquainted with our main players, including the good, the bad, and the ethereal ("The dead don’t scare me. It’s the living I fear."). But just like his "Agent Renault" books, Nevair brings a kind of 'stardom' to each and every character if I can call it that that really had me thoroughly engaged with all that transpired. And yes, we cover the better part of 14 or so years - not counting all the historical bits that tend to be told via hanging tapestries or rare stained glass displays - and numerous islands along the way. So some time spent on explaining the bits between "he was, then he wasn't, now he is again" wind up making perfect sense ("Once legendary. Now? Just a man looking to get his ship back and find his freedom."). Is this a good point then to yell out "steady as she goes" and hope everyone is keeping up?
A nobody peasant trying to marry a princess? Fairy tale tosh, that is.
For me though, where I think Nevair shines the best is when he takes a nice, "normal" human person and puts them in very cool situations of interaction with other races and/or species and/or whatever the word I need here for aliens happens to be. I mentioned several of the different sorts we meet earlier, noting perhaps for my money, my favorite were the half-orcs (I just wanted to snuggle and gnaw on those tusks!)[P.S. NOT to be confused with jungle orcs which are somehow even more bad-tempered and not at all snuggly!]. Interestingly enough, we don't know what the other half besides orc is meant (yes, my imagination went a bit wild with that) but Lana came across as kind of my dream-girl in this story. OK, so she drinks like a fish, has a temper like a wolverine, and can punch through and/or jump over walls (and if you're curious: no, I didn't watch She-Hulk for the plot). But hey, no one will mess with her when you go out for dinner, will they? And yes, I'm sure all the half-elves were very nice, too (again, are we just assuming this is human + elf or…?) but I look better in green. Um, oops, that wasn't intended as a pun or euphemism… my bad. Oh, what will the innocent orphans think?
This was to be the final chapter in a saga a millennium in the making.
So if you're in the mood for a fantastic and very quotable fantasy read by an author that just flat out knows how to write an exciting story, then you definitely need to check this one out! And yes, at this point, I should mention that being from North Carolina, tales of pirating were a prequisite of my education and upbringing and by golly if anyone ever utters a discouragin' word against Blackbeard, I am required by state law to fill yer gullet full of tobacky and red clay! Anyway, it's time for me to shove off! Best o' readin' to ya landlubbers! And yeah, folks at sea too I guess which would be… sealubbers? No. Never mind, just read it on the ferry or while you're layin' out on the beach if you're so inclined.
Avast me hearties and further such salty pirate talk! If ye be here for more of author Jonathan Nevair's scifi stories featuring his very own version of Jane Bond ('memberin' that she's a she) and adventures in outer space with tons of cool aliens, well, ye be full off course and sailing most untrue! However, if ye scallywags truly appreciate fine literature and are up for an absolutely spell-binding fantasy adventure featuring intrique, death-defying adventure, pirates, mages, dwarves, goblins, half-orcs, haunting specters and even singing magic otters (the nocsi, which are very cool!), then this is the place you have to be! Because "The Curse of Dragon Tail Island" starring Trusty Jack and his Salty Scoundrels will send all the bilge rats that have cursed yer bottom bits already this year running for the hills as you guffaw and cheer at such a wonderful tale!
You’ve got the look of one who has travelled far and wide in search of treasure.
OK, I'll stop with the pirate talk because believe it or not, I have no idea what I'm saying. No, not about the book, the, um, pirate dialect (yes, I had to google exactly what a bilge rat happened to be … though thankfully it's not nearly as rude as I expected!). Plus, I just really can't stomach rum, which as you'll admit, might have helped me along the way with this review. You see, this may in fact be my first ever pirate-oriented read that at least I can remember from the bow to stern of, um, the book. Sure, I've read stories where sailing a bit around the place was required to get back to the stabby bits but this is true blue pirating going on here. However, you just may begin to pick up on a slight twist of reference to some other tales that took place in a sherwoody forest, what with a certain hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor ("…despite being a pirate, he’s honest. And fair."). Especially once you meet the most fair Mage Marian along the way. Trust me: say that out loud if you don't get it!
We are never bound to others. Except through love.
Yes, our author has not only brought in some tried and true references to a tale any Kevin Costner fan would know (I joke because his version was AWFUL) but also created a land and history that shines just as bright as any supernova he's described in his earlier launched tomes. Plus this is without even considering the different realms of intrique we come across ("…this level of nuance and deceit was worse than a spring storm in a northern channel.") And as with the previous books I've read from this author, the tale shines brightest thanks to its very varied cast and the unique settings that we enter and leave, sometimes at our leisure, other times running for our very lives. And that still counts if I'm not a fan of sailing (tried it, hated it) or even the obvious inspirations found from D&D (I grew up too nerdy to even play THAT!). But fans of any kind of fantasy from A to whatever weird symbols the Golden Elves left behind will absolutely love this story.
Those gathered reflected on the complexity and cunning involved in the operation.
Sure the story takes a bit to catch the stronger crosswinds (is that a legitimate sailing term?) but only because this is a pretty big cast and it takes more than a little while to get properly acquainted with our main players, including the good, the bad, and the ethereal ("The dead don’t scare me. It’s the living I fear."). But just like his "Agent Renault" books, Nevair brings a kind of 'stardom' to each and every character if I can call it that that really had me thoroughly engaged with all that transpired. And yes, we cover the better part of 14 or so years - not counting all the historical bits that tend to be told via hanging tapestries or rare stained glass displays - and numerous islands along the way. So some time spent on explaining the bits between "he was, then he wasn't, now he is again" wind up making perfect sense ("Once legendary. Now? Just a man looking to get his ship back and find his freedom."). Is this a good point then to yell out "steady as she goes" and hope everyone is keeping up?
A nobody peasant trying to marry a princess? Fairy tale tosh, that is.
For me though, where I think Nevair shines the best is when he takes a nice, "normal" human person and puts them in very cool situations of interaction with other races and/or species and/or whatever the word I need here for aliens happens to be. I mentioned several of the different sorts we meet earlier, noting perhaps for my money, my favorite were the half-orcs (I just wanted to snuggle and gnaw on those tusks!)[P.S. NOT to be confused with jungle orcs which are somehow even more bad-tempered and not at all snuggly!]. Interestingly enough, we don't know what the other half besides orc is meant (yes, my imagination went a bit wild with that) but Lana came across as kind of my dream-girl in this story. OK, so she drinks like a fish, has a temper like a wolverine, and can punch through and/or jump over walls (and if you're curious: no, I didn't watch She-Hulk for the plot). But hey, no one will mess with her when you go out for dinner, will they? And yes, I'm sure all the half-elves were very nice, too (again, are we just assuming this is human + elf or…?) but I look better in green. Um, oops, that wasn't intended as a pun or euphemism… my bad. Oh, what will the innocent orphans think?
This was to be the final chapter in a saga a millennium in the making.
So if you're in the mood for a fantastic and very quotable fantasy read by an author that just flat out knows how to write an exciting story, then you definitely need to check this one out! And yes, at this point, I should mention that being from North Carolina, tales of pirating were a prequisite of my education and upbringing and by golly if anyone ever utters a discouragin' word against Blackbeard, I am required by state law to fill yer gullet full of tobacky and red clay! Anyway, it's time for me to shove off! Best o' readin' to ya landlubbers! And yeah, folks at sea too I guess which would be… sealubbers? No. Never mind, just read it on the ferry or while you're layin' out on the beach if you're so inclined.
January 30, 2026
If Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan, and Commodore Norrington were three sheets to the wind in their monthly DnD campaign, that’s what you’d get in Jonathan Nevair’s standalone pirate fantasy The Curse of Dragon Tail Island.
Fourteen years after a betrayal, Trusty Jack Hawk reemerges on the pirating scene when gnomish thief, Scarlett Tanesh, comes to him with a chance to reclaim his prized ship, Lady Luck. All it takes is breaking out some old friends from prison and a nuthouse, stealing a magical dagger to fix a broken compass, and sail through dangerous mists to find a mysterious island where the all-powerful dragon’s blood can be found. Shiver me timbers.
I mean it when I say that this book is straight out of the Pirates of the Caribbean, it truly feels like a part of that iconic film series, right down to the names of the characters, the broken compass, and the vibes. And like the first few movies, this book is just a lot of fun. You can tell Nevair had a blast writing this story.
Sure some of the pirate-speak was a little too on the nose at times, leaning a bit caricature, but Nevair has a gift for banter and dialogue. The crew, the Salty Scoundrels, are a treat. Their interactions with each other are hilarious and Nevair just drops line after line of witty comebacks and barbed shots, all laced with heart for one another. These characters fit the mold of pirate and DnD tropes to the T. And while that might cause some eyerolls, I think it was a smart move relying on tried and tested genre tropes, as it didn’t force Nevair to have to do a lot of exposition. The worldbuilding just sort of bleeds through these tropes with ease, allowing the world-specific stuff to just be front and center.
And while the action set pieces (prison break, heist, escapes, ship battles) all take up a lot of page time, it’s the quieter moments that really shine here. Amidst all this pirate action, there is a B plot of a regime change, and in the forefront is a royal-turned-healing mage who also happens to be Trusty Jack’s former betrothed. Plus there is a former lover of Scarlett who plays a role in this story. The emotional beats between these former romantic partners possibly rekindling things was really nice to read and really did offset the pirate hijinks, giving a balanced book of lightheartedness and seriousness.
The DnD races were fun adds. Your different types of elves and dwarves. Half-orcs and half-ogres. But there were some additional adds like sprites that turned up the fun. I really liked the bard Sian, who is a nocsi, which is a feline/otter-like creature who can use sea kelp to generate magic.
All in all, The Curse of Dragon Tail Island is exactly the pirate romp you’d expect it to be. Sometimes that is all you need in a read. Highly recommend this one.
*I received an advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
Fourteen years after a betrayal, Trusty Jack Hawk reemerges on the pirating scene when gnomish thief, Scarlett Tanesh, comes to him with a chance to reclaim his prized ship, Lady Luck. All it takes is breaking out some old friends from prison and a nuthouse, stealing a magical dagger to fix a broken compass, and sail through dangerous mists to find a mysterious island where the all-powerful dragon’s blood can be found. Shiver me timbers.
I mean it when I say that this book is straight out of the Pirates of the Caribbean, it truly feels like a part of that iconic film series, right down to the names of the characters, the broken compass, and the vibes. And like the first few movies, this book is just a lot of fun. You can tell Nevair had a blast writing this story.
Sure some of the pirate-speak was a little too on the nose at times, leaning a bit caricature, but Nevair has a gift for banter and dialogue. The crew, the Salty Scoundrels, are a treat. Their interactions with each other are hilarious and Nevair just drops line after line of witty comebacks and barbed shots, all laced with heart for one another. These characters fit the mold of pirate and DnD tropes to the T. And while that might cause some eyerolls, I think it was a smart move relying on tried and tested genre tropes, as it didn’t force Nevair to have to do a lot of exposition. The worldbuilding just sort of bleeds through these tropes with ease, allowing the world-specific stuff to just be front and center.
And while the action set pieces (prison break, heist, escapes, ship battles) all take up a lot of page time, it’s the quieter moments that really shine here. Amidst all this pirate action, there is a B plot of a regime change, and in the forefront is a royal-turned-healing mage who also happens to be Trusty Jack’s former betrothed. Plus there is a former lover of Scarlett who plays a role in this story. The emotional beats between these former romantic partners possibly rekindling things was really nice to read and really did offset the pirate hijinks, giving a balanced book of lightheartedness and seriousness.
The DnD races were fun adds. Your different types of elves and dwarves. Half-orcs and half-ogres. But there were some additional adds like sprites that turned up the fun. I really liked the bard Sian, who is a nocsi, which is a feline/otter-like creature who can use sea kelp to generate magic.
All in all, The Curse of Dragon Tail Island is exactly the pirate romp you’d expect it to be. Sometimes that is all you need in a read. Highly recommend this one.
*I received an advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review
February 3, 2026
Thank you Jonathan for the ARC paperback!
This was such a fun adventure. It hit every mark for my D&D loving soul. With cozy fantasy vibes, heists x3, amazing and distinct side characters, and a second chance romance I enjoyed every chapter.
The only thing keeping it from 5⭐️ for me were elements in losing some of our side characters. As much as I enjoyed them, I was missing a gut punch feeling and a finality to the losses. Although Siân almost got me misty eyed with the boat carving at the end.
I will definitely be picking up any other fantasy books from Jonathan 🏴☠️
This was such a fun adventure. It hit every mark for my D&D loving soul. With cozy fantasy vibes, heists x3, amazing and distinct side characters, and a second chance romance I enjoyed every chapter.
The only thing keeping it from 5⭐️ for me were elements in losing some of our side characters. As much as I enjoyed them, I was missing a gut punch feeling and a finality to the losses. Although Siân almost got me misty eyed with the boat carving at the end.
I will definitely be picking up any other fantasy books from Jonathan 🏴☠️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2026
I had the privilege of reading an ARC and let me tell you that this story brought out all the fun a swashbuckling adventure should have. From the vivid archipelago, to the colorful characters, the danger, the banter, the romance, the magic, the high seas, this story has it all and then some. Highly recommended!
January 31, 2026
Adventure on the high seas, charming and endearing fantasy characters, a good amount of comedy, a bit of sadness and a rekindled romance. I especially enjoyed the pirate’s dialogue and phrases and the nautical accuracy. A fun read that I couldn’t put down!
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